Language arts teacher Frank Perez was awarded the sought-after title of Teacher of the Year, and this was announced at the Clash of the Classes rally on Feb. 7. It was as if the entire school was congratulating him, and these congratulations were absolutely well-deserved.

For Perez, the win was a shock. He has been teaching for 19 years, and according to him, something like this hardly crossed his mind. To him, he’s been going about business as usual, but that was clearly more meaningful than he ever could have thought.

Perez was nominated by his fellow teachers and even the school board, which was strange to him. “I wasn’t ready to be complimented by so many people,” Perez said. “My students even gave me a standing ovation when I came into class that day.” Even former students sent him messages over social media congratulating him.

Not only were his colleagues proud of him, but his students had a sense of pride that hasn’t faded. Perez is incredibly well-liked by his students, who admire him and his teaching greatly.

“I’ve learned a lot from him,” said senior Isabella Svensson. “One of my favorite things I’ve learned from him is…to accept your failures in order to better yourself.”

Not only is Perez a great giver of advice, but he also knows how to make Language Arts fun, said Svensson. “He somehow manages to make class interesting, while teaching us the academic curriculum as well as life lessons.”

It’s obvious that, though Perez often teaches his students important lessons about literature, he also teaches them as much as he can about life.

“You’re the driver of your own future,” said Perez thoughtfully. To him, it doesn’t matter where a student comes from; he wants them to know that hard work is key in life. This is one of many life lessons that Perez has shared, but people often forget that for teachers, learning goes both ways.

Teachers can learn an abundance of things from their students, even some things that they don’t realize for themselves. This is his favorite part of his job, as he can see the wisdom in literature and life he has instilled in his students. He’s incredibly grateful to see the fruits of his labor paying off–not only in his day-to-day teaching life but also in the win of the award. When asked what his students have taught him, Perez replied that it was humility and understanding.

“I just keep doing my thing the way I’ve been doing it,” said Perez. “I guess it’s being recognized that whatever I’m doing is working.”

“I’ll always remember Mr. Perez as a great teacher and how he lived up to his teacher of the year title,” said Svensson, clearly proud of her teacher and his accomplishments thus far.

Though it seems that this year is already rapidly coming to a close, Perez says that this is something he won’t soon forget. “I really love working with these students and with this community,” said Perez. “It keeps me fired up to do what I do.”